Lagman (Uzbek Lamb Noodle Soup)

My first encounter with Lagman (Uzbek Lamb Noodle Soup) was at the now defunct Uzbekistan - Los Angeles. At the time, I dismissed it as a basic beef stew with similar Chinese noodles. Seven years later, after having explored other Central Asian cuisines, I hope I've become less cavalier of other cuisines in general, but of Central Asian cuisines in particular.

I try to place new cuisines into what's familiar, and would describe Uzbek and other Central Asian foods as a cross between Chinese Islamic and Middle Eastern cuisines. Which, if you think of the former, is already a confluence of two different cuisines.

If lagman seems familiar, that's because the word is derived from lamian (Chinese hand-pulled noodles). The Uzbek version is thicker, similar to Japanese udon, but much more tender. I stumbled upon a package of Shanghai home-style noodles at the grocery store, which looked so very homemade that I couldn't resist buying it so I could experiment. If you can't find Chinese hand-pulled noodles, then I'd suggest substituting with udon or even fettuccine.

Now, as for the lamb or beef stew portion of the soup, I knew there was an undefinable something that made Uzbek lagman stand apart. A little Googling and I found a lagman recipe from Bois de Jasmin that mentioned kala jeera (Indian black cumin). I debated whether to be lazy and substitute with regular cumin, but hauled myself off to Bhanu Indian Grocery & Cuisine - San Gabriel and luckily found a package in stock. One whiff of the smoky aroma and I knew it was worth the trip. No, regular cumin is not remotely similar to black cumin. I would omit it if you can't find any, but if you can, oh, does it add that something.

I find lamb to be quite gamey, unless it's rack of or thinly sliced for hot pot. So I used a combination of the latter with some venison my dad had shot. Regular beef is perfectly fine to use in this soup as well. The lagman I had at Varzoba Kafejnica - Riga - Latvia was described on the menu as a tomato soup, of which I had plenty from my garden. You can cut the vegetables into a thick julienne or dice them as I have. And lastly, as these are fresh noodles, don't add the noodle to the soup. Rather, boil the noodles separately, and spoon the stew over the soup.

I looked through my photos of the lagman I ate at Varzoba Kafejnica and was struck by the artful plating of the bright blue bowl atop a blue plate. Rummaged through my kitchen cabinets for something similar and I have to say the plating made my Uzbek lagman look so much more tempting, don't you think?

Nai Xao Xa Cuon Banh Trang (Vietnamese Sauteed Lemongrass Venison Rice Paper Rolls)

I've mentioned before that when I'm home, I try not to eat out for dinner, but save it for spending time with my parents. And so after a long day of chasing waterfalls in the drizzle and a late afternoon snack of pie, we sat down to Nai Xao Xa (Vietnamese Sauteed Venison with Lemongrass) to cook at the table and to wrap with rice paper. The venison was shot by my dad. The wine was made by my mom from blackberries she picked in the hiking trails around the neighborhood.

Ask Wandering Chopsticks 7

Not much going on the blog this month. Was busy with my parents in town. Then got the sniffles so visits to snuggle with my new niece have been curtailed for the time being. :(

Isn't she darling?

Nai Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Venison)

The last entry/entree in this dinner in late October was nai luc lac (Vietnamese shaking venison), which really is just Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) made with deer meat.

Nhu Y Ca 8 Mon (8 Courses of Fish) Restaurant - Fountain Valley (Little Saigon)

There are restaurants that I used to dine at when I lived and worked in Orange County that I just don't get to much any more. In part, it's because so many Vietnamese restaurants have opened in the San Gabriel Valley in the past decade that I don't need to go so far to get Vietnamese food any more, but I do miss some of the more novel restaurants such as Nhu Y Ca 8 Mon (8 Courses of Fish) Restaurant in Fountain Valley.


I've done Vietnamese 7 courses of beef a time or two, and even Vietnamese 7 courses of goat. So let's add another multi-course, single meat meal into the mix with 8 courses of fish, a decidedly healthier option.

Kum Lee (Kho Bo Mut) - Westminster (Little Saigon)

My day with Lan of Angry Asian Creations wasn't quite done. After our lunch at Quan Vy Da Restaurant - Westminster (Little Saigon), she wanted some xi muoi (Vietnamese preserved plums).

We could have hit up one of the many locations of Vua Kho Bo, but I decided to go the mom and pop business route and took her to Kum Lee (Kho Bo Mut), located in the Asian Village Mall.




Vast selection of beef, venison, squid, and fish jerky in the back. Dried and preserved fruits along the walls.




Red watermelon seeds. Dried mangoes.




More dried and preserved fruits that I can't remember.

Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Udon Noodles)

Does it look like Christmas?

Well, it certainly felt like Christmas to me. Through my advertiser, Foodbuzz, I received a $30 credit to Asian Food Grocer. That gave me the chance to try out some Japanese grocery items that I normally wouldn't buy such as two types of mirin (Japanese cooking sake.), kombu (Japanese seaweed for making stock), and red miso paste (I have white miso paste in the fridge.). To round it out, I also got curry mix, udon noodles, yam noodles, Chinese black pepper sauce, and a tea cup with infuser and lid. Nice, yeah? Hey, it wasn't all free, I did pay $6.18 for the shipping. ;)

Actually, if you have trouble finding Asian grocery items where you live, I would recommend Asian Food Grocer. Most items were reasonably-priced, carefully packaged, and delivered within days at a reasonable cost.

Bun Thit Nai Nuong Xa (Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Lemongrass Venison)

I guess I shouldn't have invited people over after I had just got back from NorCal, but I had some more venison after just coming back from Portland too, and Gourmet Pigs wanted to try some. I invited Tony of SinoSoul and his wife to round out our group.

Venison tastes like beef to me so you can easily substitute beef in this recipe. Doesn't it look like beef too?

The actual plating for this took place a few days after our dinner because we were too busy eating for me to make things look pretty. Not that I think this looks all that great because I had only had my camera for about a month at this point so I was still trying to figure things out. Still am. :P

Anyway, Vietnamese cold noodle dishes are great to eat during the summer because the only heating up is the meat. The crunch of Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon) and the fresh veggies make a wonderful contrast.

Portland Farmers Market at PSU - Portland - Oregon

After lunch at Pok Pok - Portland - Oregon, Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok and I headed downtown to check out the Farmers Market at Portland State University.

Located in the South Park Blocks, the Portland Farmers Market at PSU is one of the city's nicest, if for nothing else but the location.

Bo Xao Xa (Vietnamese Beef Sauteed with Lemongrass)

Speaking of my friend Don (Yes, Don said he wanted his real name used on the blog and not to be mentioned as one of my many generic "friends." :P ), a few months back he came over for dinner and he requested a venison dinner. So although the title of the post says beef, this was all deer or elk meat (I forgot which but my dad hunts both). It's just titled beef since that's more accessible to most people. :) I defrosted one of the slabs of venison my dad stocks my freezer with and asked Don what he wanted to eat. He requested the meat be cooked in as many ways as possible, so we had elk steak, bo luc lac (Vietnamese shaking beef), and xao xa (sauteed with lemongrass). And cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls) since I had some on hand. (Deer meat tastes slightly milder than elk, but both taste very similar to beef to me so I use them interchangeably in most of my beef recipes. Game meat is leaner and healthier than beef as the animals haven't been fed byproducts and pumped full of hormones. If you don't want a "gamey" smell or taste, after slicing the venison, give the meat another rinse to remove excess blood.) As I was slicing and dicing lemongrass, garlic, and shallots, I made Don wrap the egg rolls and man the stove. We ate the lemongrass venison with lettuce and herbs wrapped in rice paper. And also plain with rice. I actually don't measure out my seasonings so these are approximates. Obviously adjust to your tastebuds. You can also grill the meat thereby making it nuong xa (grilled with lemongrass), or cook ga nuong xa (chicken grilled with lemongrass). Bo Xao Xa (Vietnamese Beef Sauteed with Lemongrass) For 1 lb of meat, you'll need: Beef sliced thinly 2 stalks lemongrass, finely minced a few cloves of garlic, minced a few small shallots, minced about 1 tblsp Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce), or to taste about 1 tsp salt, or to taste about 2 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste about 1 tblsp brown sugar, or to taste Optional: Add a minced chili pepper or a spoonful of chili paste if you like spicy. Grind lemongrass, garlic, and shallots in a food processor until finely minced. Add the fish sauce, salt, ground black pepper, and brown sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Add beef and mix with marinade thoroughly. Allow to rest for the meat to absorb the marinade, or you can saute the meat right away. Serve with rice or rice paper. The rest of our dinner. My bo luc lac recipe. My cha gio recipe. Enjoy! ***** 1 year ago today, the Best of 2006 roses from my garden.

My Dad's 60th Birthday Party

Sorry the pictures are so blurry. I was standing at the top of the staircase and zooming in so you could get a sense of the whole length of the table, or rather two long and one round table placed end to end. This is how it's been like for the past few holiday parties, but this time, we were celebrating my dad's 60th birthday. I previously wrote about why lil' sis and I are such daddy's girls.

Close-ups of the food below.